Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Learning to design objects effectively with Java is the goal of Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code, an intensive yet approachable guide to object design, using UML and today's hottest programming language. Plenty of titles dig into the Java language in massive detail, but this one steps back and looks at object design first. The details of Java, from basic language features to a simple tutorial for building user interfaces in Swing, emerge only after a thorough tour of thinking in objects.

The book takes readers through object design, from the very beginning, at a relaxed pace. While you get all of the necessary jargon for really learning the object paradigm (for example, there's full coverage of such concepts as data encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism), the tutorial is likely to reach more readers. Without being doctrinaire about the design process, the author walks you through the steps for "discovering" objects in a business problem (including classes, attributes, and operations) and then determining how these objects work together to model real-world problems. The sample class diagrams offer quite a rich level of detail, and a single case study for a student course registration database demonstrates the design principles, including extensive class diagrams.

By the end of the book, this set of classes is transformed into working Java code, with a simple Swing-based user interface. Although the book cuts a few corners--such as using tab-delimited data instead of JDBC (a must for business programmers)--there's little doubt that this lively approach to mastering Java will benefit a wide range of readers. If ever you've been unsure about what object-oriented design really means, Beginning Java Objects can demystify important concepts and put the power of objects within your reach. --Richard Dragan

Product Description

Among Java's many attractive features as a programming language, its object-oriented nature is key to creating powerful, reusable code and applications that are easy to maintain and extend. To take advantage of these capabilities, you're going to need not only to master the syntax of the Java language, but also to gain a practical understanding of what objects are all about, and more importantly, how to structure a Java application from the ground up to make the most of objects.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 665 pages
• Publisher: Wrox Press; 1st edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861004176
• ISBN-13: 978-1861004178
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,129,511 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good coverage of an extremely complex topic, March 3, 2001

By	Benjamin Mofaz (Tel Aviv, Israel) - See all my reviews

When people who have not previously done object-oriented programming begin to learn Java, my experience has been that they mistakenly assume that learning the language itself is the only thing that they need to do. In reality, the most important thing (and in my opinion most difficult) is to learn how to create a good object-oriented design. Before they can create a good design, they need to understand object-oriented concepts and the tools that are available to them such as UML. Jacquie's book does an excellent job of introducing the reader to those concepts and explaining them clearly. It has been said that you cannot explain something well to another person unless you really understand it yourself. If that is the case, Ms. Barker clearly understands object design very well.

If you are learning Java or considering learning Java for the first time, I recommend reading these books in the following order:

Beginning Java 2 (Ivor Horton)

Professional Java Programming (Brett Spell)

Beginning Java Objects (Jacquie Barker)

These three Wrox titles complement one another very well, and are all well-written and easy to understand.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for non-Java progammers, too!, February 26, 2003

By	Jason A. Salas (Dededo, Guam Guam) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In reading Barker's title, one gets an extraordinarily good education into the major considerations for object-oriented design. Although the book's title would imply that Java developers would benefit most, this is a great introductory manual to OOP and Java 2, and perfectly suited for other platforms, as well.

It's actually a very helpful, very educational, very entertaining look at object-oriented software design, at modeling, and at proper management of the process in which they are used to create great software applications.

Barker does a fantastic job of describing the process and life-cycle involved with designing and coding a system, and centers the concepts presented around an iterative practical application, a student registration system for college. She also bases her method of teaching concepts-first-and-then-code around pseudocode, so the reader isn't inundated by too much syntax while trying to grasp fundamental subjects. Barker also steps the reader through the procedural methods of designing an application, such as creating a vision document and glossary of system-specific terms.

In doing so, Barker also uses one of the friendliest voices in her writing that's truly a rarity in technical books these days.

Being an ASP.NET developer working almost exclusively in C#, I got a lot out of it. The Java syntax might be a stretch for VB devs; the book also makes for great recommended reading for those just starting to get into OOP or Java. I'd also recommend this book for Microsoft developers migrating up from Windows DNA and ASP 3.0 technologies, as it really does a good job of walking you through OOP/OOD, which in my opinion has proven to be THE major hurdle for many devs in embracing .NET.

The only downside I can see about this book is that because of the title, developers non-Java other platforms and disciplines will unfairly look past it, and therefore miss out on the important lessons contained within its pages. The book's key strength lies in the chapters on designing use case scenarios and UML diagrams, which I really enjoyed.

It's these unexpected advantages that have put this book in a prominent place in my home library that keep it easily within reach.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beginners must have book, March 11, 2001

By	Tamarra (Wichita KS) - See all my reviews

I am thrilled to have found this book!

I have been developing software for several years now. My exposure has been mostly in the mainframe environment. I decided to make a switch to PC development as I find most of the latest technologies are taking place here. I'm very comfortable with programming and thought nothing about teaching myself Java. I quickly realized that it is very different from the other languages that I have learned! I do know C and that helped a bit, but the whole concept of object-oriented was unfamiliar territory.

I originally read Ivor Horton's Beginning Java 2 book but I still wasn't clear. It wasn't until I read Ms. Barker's book, however, that I really saw how to structure an application around objects. In my opinion, this book should be read before reading Mr. Horton's book.

I'm in love with this book, with the author's writing style, the examples and development of the Student Registration System case study application! I really like the part where the author transforms UML class diagrams into actual Java code.

Thank you, Ms. Barker, for writing a marvelous book and for making the understanding of objects so simple.